Bation



y 1932- J. T. FITZSIMMONS 1,368,006

IGNITION APPARATUS Filed Dec. 15, 1930 INVE T0 rad ATTORNEY-9 Patented July 19, 1932 UNITED v STATES,

PATENT cit-Pics JOHN" T. FITZSIMMONS, F ANDERSON, INDIANA, A$SIGNOB TO DELCO-REMY GORPO- RATION, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA,'A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE IGNITION nrrnnarus Application filed December 15, 1930. Serial No. 502,402.

This invention relates to ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines and more particularly to the rotary cylinder radial type engine, in which radially arranged cylinders rotate around the crank shaft. It is one of the objects of the present invention to simplify and therefore reduce'the cost of manufacture of ignition apparatus for radial engines, particular attention being paid to the simplification of the electrical connections with the various spark plugs of the rotating cylinders. Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a pre- 'ferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing: go 'The one figure of the drawing is a diagram of an ignition system embodying the present invention. The engine is represented diagrammatically as having six cylinders 21 attached to a case 22 and rotatable as about the axis of a crank shaft 23. Each of the engine spark plugs 24 includes a grounded electrode, the grounded electrode being electrically connected with the metallic engine frame having a ground connection at 25. The insulated electrode of each spark plug is connected with a terminal point 26, the points 26 rotate past a stationary segment 27 suificiently close to the ends of the points 26 which swing past the segment to permit a sparking impulse to jump the gap between 26 and 27.

The engine shaft 23 carries a' gear represented by the dot-dash-line circle 30 meshing with a gear 31 twice the pitch diameter of the gear 30. The gear 31 drives a shaft 32 which rotates a distributor rotor 33 and an ignition timer cam 34- The cam 34 cooperates with two circuit breaker levers 35 and 36 to cause them to operate alternately in order to separate contacts 37 and 38 carried respectively by the levers 35 and 36 from relatively sta tionary contacts 39 and 40. "The levers 35 and 36 are: connected respectively with terminals 41 and 42 by leaf spring conductors to 43 and 44 which also serve to urge the levers "gularly distances apart equal to 35 and 36 toward the cam 34 and to maintain the respective pairs of timer contacts in engagement until the cam 34 operates the circuit breaker levers to separate the pairs of contacts. The terminals 41 and 42 have a 65 common ground connection 45. The stationary contacts 39 and ell) are connected by. wires 47 and 48 respectively with the primary windings 49 and 50 respectively of ignition coils 51 and 52 respectively. The primary windings 49 and 50 are connected by wire 53 with a battery 54 connected'by a switch to ground 56. Condensers 57 and 58 grounded at '59 and 60 respectively are connected with wires 47 and 48 respectively, and hence are shunted around pairs of contacts 37, 39 and 38, 40. respectively in order to reduce sparking.

The segment 27 is connected by wire 7 O with a stationary center contact 71 bearing against the center point of the distributor rotor 33. Both arms 33a and 33b of which electrically connect the center contact 71 with any of a series ofstationary distributor posts 72 equal in number to the number of engine cylinder spark plugs and spaced anone-half the angular spacing between the cylinders of the engine. For sake of convenience, these stationary posts will be numbered from 1 to 6 inclusive, there being six cylinders in the engine disclosed.

The secondary winding 61 of coil 51 is connected with distributor posts 72, Nos. 2, t and 6. The secondary winding 62 of coil 52 is connected with distributor posts 7 2, Nos. 1, 3 and 5. hen the distributor rotor 33 is ad-' jacent either of the posts 72, Nos. 2, 4 and 6, timer contact 37 will be separated from timer contact 39 to cause sparking impulses to be generated in coil'5l and thereby be conducted to the distributor rotor 33 which, whenever a sparking impulse is generated in coil 51, will be adjacent to either ofposts 72, Nos. 2, i and 6. Similarly, whenever rotor33 is adjacent either of the posts 72, Nos. 1, 3 andb, the timer contact 38 will be separated from the timer contact 40 to cause sparking impulses to be generated in the coil 52, said impulses being conductedto the'diswe 2' tributor rotor 33 which is ad'acent to either of the posts 7 p lIos. 1, 3 an 5. whenever a gparking impulse is generated in the coil 52. I

is therefore a parent that for each rotation of the sha 32 that twelve sparking impulses will be generated alternately by two ignition coils, andthese' sparking lmpulses will be received by the distributor rotor 33, six being conducted thereto when the rotor arm 33apasses adjacent to the distributor posts 72, and the other SIX lmpulses being conducted thereto when the distributor arm 33b passes adjacent to the posts 72. Thus, for each rotation of the engine shaft 23 which rotates at twice the speed of the shaft 32- there will be provided six sparking impulses which are required for six cylinder radial engine operating on the two cycle principle.

It should be understood that the present invention is not limited in its application to the particular engine illustrated, but that the engine may be applied to engines having other numbers of cylinders, for example 8 or 12, in which case the number of distributor contacts 5 would be 8 and 12 respectively. Instead. of

employing only two coils working alternately to provide the ignition impulses, there may be provided three or four coils controlled by as many ignition timers operating alternately so in recurrent'sequence.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes -'a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming 36 within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Ignition apparatus for a radial, rotating cylinder internal combustion engine, comprising in combination, spark plugs attached 0 respectively to the cylinders and each having a terminal extending therefrom; a stationary segment past 'which the terminals rotate;

. sparking impulse generating means comprising a current source, a plurality of induction coils, circuit interrupters for connecting the coils with the current source and means for operating the interrupters alternately; and means for conducting the sparking impulses to the stationary segment.

2. Ignition apparatus for a radial, rotating cylinder internal combustion engine, comprising in combination, spark plugs attached respectively to the cylinders and each having a terminal extendin therefrom; a stationary segment past whic the terminals I rotate; sparking impulse generating means comprising a current source, a plurality of induction colls, circuit interrupters for connecting the coils with the current source and means for operating the interruptersalternately; and a distributor head having an arcuate row of stationary posts connected alternately with the induction coils, and a rotary conductor for electrically connecting the stationary 65 postsalternately with the stationary segment.

naaaogoa 3. Ignition apparatus fora radial, rotatcylinders, comprising in com ination, spark plugs attached respectively to the cylinder and each having a terminal extending therefrom; a stationary segment .past

ing gylinder internal combustion en 'ne havmg Y which the terminals ro'tate; sparking impulse generating means comprising a current source, two induction coils, tw o circuit interrupters for connect ng the 0011s respectively with the current source, a cam having N lobes and operatlng the interrupters alternately;

sparking impulse distributing means comprising a head having an arcuate row, less than 180 degrees'in. angular length, of N stationary posts connected alternately with the induction coils, and a double-arm rotary conductor connected with the stationary seg ment, the arms of the rotary conductor cooperating alternately with the row of said posts during successive engine cycles; and means for rotatin the cam and rotary conductor at one-half engine cycle speed.

4. Ignition apparatus for multi cylinder internal combustion engines, comprising in combination, a plurality of sparking impulse generators, means'operated by the engine for causing'the generators to operate alternately to produce a series of sparking impulses sufiicient to fire the engine during one cycle of engine operation, and means for distributing said sparkingimpulses to the various spark gaps of the engine, said means including a distributor head having a series of posts arranged in an arcuate row, alternate ones of said series of. posts being connected to one of the sparking impulse generators, and other alternate ones of said posts being connected to another sparking impulse generator, and a distributor rotor driven at I one-half engine cycle speed and having two connected distributor arms, one arm cooperating with said posts during one cycle of engine operation and another arm cooperating with said posts during the next succeeding cycle of engine operation. i

In testimony whereof I hereto atfix my signature.

JOHN T. FITZ SIMMONS. 

